NFL to appeal after Nevada Supreme Court approves Jon Gruden’s lawsuit that blocked arbitration

The Nevada Supreme Court sided with Jon Gruden in an appeal, marking the latest legal victory in his ongoing lawsuit against the NFL. The decision, which was made official Monday, blocks the NFL from sending the case into arbitration.

The NFL announced in a statement to media Tuesday that it will appeal the decision.

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One of the issues at hand was an arbitration clause in the NFL’s constitution, which the league argued kept Gruden from making the lawsuit public. But on Monday, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled 5-2 in favor of the former Las Vegas Raiders head coach, finding that the clause is “unconscionable” and does not apply to Gruden, as he is no longer an employee, via NBC’s Mike Florio.

Gruden sued the NFL shortly after resigning from the Raiders in 2021; his latest legal battles have been around the manner of the lawsuit. Gruden has wanted his trial to be public, as part of a quest to expose what he believes were deliberate leaks to media outlets; the league, meanwhile, wanted a closed-door arbitration.

Gruden originally won before a trial court, but a Nevada Supreme Court panel overturned the ruling in May 2024 as part of a lengthy appeal.

Per court documents, Gruden’s lawyers filed for a rehearing on the appeal last summer, which was denied. A month later, they filed for an en banc reconsideration, which was granted in October. The panel officially sided with Gruden on Monday.

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The NFL has yet to comment on Gruden’s latest legal victory, but it is likely the league will appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which may or may not decide to hear the case.

Gruden sought public lawsuit in court to expose ‘the truth’

Gruden resigned from his job as Raiders head coach in 2021 after a New York Times report exposed his email exchanges with former Washington Football Team executive Bruce Allen, among others, that showed his use of racist, anti-gay and misogynistic language.

Gruden sued the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell in 2021, accusing them of plotting to destroy his career via a “malicious and orchestrated campaign” by leaking those emails. The emails surfaced from an investigation into the Washington Commanders and then-team owner Dan Snyder.

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The lawsuit argues that Gruden was targeted in the alleged leaks and that “there is no explanation or justification” for why the correspondence of others in the league was not exposed. Gruden had previously vowed that “the truth will come out” regarding unnamed others around the NFL.

NFL sought closed-door arbitration

The NFL has since made multiple attempts to strike down the lawsuit, arguing that a clause in Gruden’s contract with the Raiders requires him to seek dispute settlement via arbitration. Gruden’s attorneys have argued that the clause doesn’t apply since he is no longer an employee of the Raiders and that his dispute is with the NFL, not the Raiders.

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In 2022, Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Judge Nancy Allf denied the NFL’s effort to dismiss the lawsuit and ruled the case could continue in open court.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy dismissed Gruden’s lawsuit as meritless after the district court ruling and vowed to appeal.

“The allegations are entirely meritless and the NFL will vigorously defend against these claims,” McCarthy’s 2022 statement reads.